By Dorene Internicola

NEW YORK, May 20 (Reuters) - Fitness experts are shining a new light on group classes from Zumba to yoga because they believe the right lighting can transform the four walls of a fitness studio from a dance party to a meditation space, and back again.

"Because of the theatrical nature of group fitness classes, lighting is key to differentiate programming," said Donna Cyrus, senior vice president of programming at Crunch fitness centers.

Yellow or orange light boosts high-energy workouts, such as rebounding mini trampoline routines, circuit classes or sculpt programs, Cyrus said, while for yoga the light should be soft and soothing.

Lighting also enhances the musical experience, Cyrus said.

In a cycling class, accents of "club type" lighting pulse to the beat of the music, creating what she calls "a choreographed show."

According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines, adjustable light sources should be provided in group exercise areas.

Generally, the more hand-eye coordination an activity demands, the more illumination is required, according to Grace DeSimone, national director of group fitness at Plus One Health Management, which designs and manages fitness centers for corporations, hotels and community centers.

"If you're going to be moving around a lot you'll need a lot of light," DeSimone said. "You're not going to do a boot camp workout in a dark room."

But indoor cycling classes often combine high energy and low lighting.

"Spinning goes against the grain," DeSimone explained. "You can do some pretty cool things - make the room look like a night-time sky or light a disco ball - because once you're on that bike you're not going anywhere."

In a multi-purpose fitness room, she said, the lighting has to be able to change based on what's going on.

"With Pilates you want the lights on, but with yoga you can do a lot with colored lights," she said.

One reason light affects mood and alertness is that it cuts down on the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, said Gregory Chertok, a sport psychology consultant for ACSM.

"In a dark room, the brain secretes melatonin," he explained.

Chertok, the director of mental training at The Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Center in Englewood, New Jersey, said studies of factory workers have found that rooms with greater lighting will often yield greater productivity.

He also cited research that found some blue lighting, which is favored in some yoga and meditation classes, can be even more effective than white fluorescent light in suppressing melatonin.

"Sustaining blue-enriched light seems to help with concentrating on something for a long period," he said.

ACSM guidelines suggest efforts should be made to use natural light.

"We like to feel the sun," Chertok said, "so it's natural for gyms to try to simulate that."

Daylight not only brightens a room, he suggests, it conveys information.

"Perhaps daylight and natural lighting provide gym-goers with accurate weather and time information, which may be helpful in planning the length and duration of the workout," he said.

Chertok said research has demonstrated that the mind is generally sharper during daylight hours.

"A study in the late '90s found that even sleep-deprived people were sharper during the daylight hours," he said, adding that in another study, students in schools with natural lighting did better on performance tests.

Darkness, Chertok said, is more associated with letting go.

"Think of restaurants," he said. "Darkness can contribute to ordering more." (Editing by Patricia Reaney)


Also on HuffPost:






  • It's A Great Cardio Workout


    Like any good low-impact cardio workout, such as running or aerobics, dancing can improve cardiovascular health, increase stamina, strengthen bones and muscles and stave off illnesses, <a href="http://www.aarp.org/health/fitness/info-2005/dance_to_health.html" target="_hplink">like diabetes and heart disease</a>.

    But aside from the perks associated any heart-pounding activity, dancing has a cardio edge, with unique benefits that actually can't be achieved by other low-impact exercises.

    "Dancing can give you more than traditional cardio," explains Fabio Comana, exercise physiologist and senior fitness education for the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

    Comana describes five components of fitness: cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, muscular endurance, body composition and muscular strength. An activity like, say, running on the treadmill may improve cardiovascular endurance and body composition, but an activity like dancing can actually target those two, <em>as well</em> as muscular endurance and flexibility. And that's on top of improved balance, agility, coordination, power, reactivity and speed, he explains.

    But we're not talking slow dances here -- to count as true cardio, Comana suggests aiming for an exertion level somewhere between a 5 and a 7 on a scale where 1 is resting and 10 is the hardest thing you can do. Try the talk test: you shouldn't be so out of breath that you can't speak, but your words should be a little choppy and your breath heavy.




  • It's Fun!


    "If exercise is not an enjoyable experience, we're not going to do it," Comana says. And the bottom line is that dancing is, plain and simple, fun in the way a monotonous treadmill run probably never will be. Plus, busting a move can trigger the release of feel good hormones like serotonin and endorphins. "People think, 'I'm not exercising, I'm dancing,'" he says. "But at the end of the day, you're moving and you're burning calories. It's just as good as a cardio class."

    And, as Mallet explains, not only will you be more likely to stick with a fitness routine if it's fun, but you'll also want to do it for longer.

    "This will push you to move for a longer period of time than typical exercise, purely because it's a lot of fun and not the dreaded word 'exercise,'" she told The Huffington Post. "Dance inspires people to get in shape with something they love to do, which doesn't feel like dreaded exercise or a bad chore, but fun and exhilarating.




  • It's Social


    As much as we all love to dance when there's nobody watching, there's something irresistible about dancing with other people, whether it's with a partner or a class-full of fellow booty shakers.

    "Group fitness is seeing a surge in popularity because of Zumba," Comana says. And working out in a class can help to up the difficulty level and increase accountability.




  • Anyone Can Do It


    "The nice thing about dance is that it's inclusive," Comana says. "Exercise is not inclusive, some people feel like they don't have the skill set and they're embarrassed ... I think anyone can just start to dance and enjoy the experience."

    Nervous about dancing in front of people? Start out in your own living room, moving to a song you just can't resist.

    "There is a dancer in all of us," Mallett says, "and when we move our body to the music we naturally smile and want to keep moving."

    And don't let two left feet keep you from joining in on the fun.

    "Don't get intimidated because you feel like you're not a good dancer. Who cares?" Mallett says. "It's about you moving your body in your way not like the rest of the people in the class. Zone out and focus on how great you feel and that no one is judging your abilities."




  • It Can Keep Your Brain Sharp


    We've all heard by now that mental activities like reading and playing games can help to keep your brain sharp and even stave off dementia later in life. But, according to one study, <a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMoa022252" target="_hplink">so can dancing</a>.

    The findings, published in the <em>New England Journal of Medicine</em>, suggest that getting footloose on a regular basis is linked with a <a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa022252#t=articleResults" target="_hplink">76 percent reduction in dementia risk</a>, about as much as playing board games or a musical instrument. Other physical activities, such as bicycling, walking and doing housework, weren't associated with any decreased risk.




  • It's Gentle On The Body


    The wide variety of moves (anyone up for the robot?) that we bust out when boogying down can actually be a lifesaver for your body, as you're avoiding the wear and tear of repetitive motions.

    "It's not so repetitive as we're constantly combining exercises together in different combinations and developing fun innovative moves that you typically would not find in low impact cardio aerobic classes," Mallett says.

    Unlike more traditional cardio, which is very structured and vigorous, dancing is more free flowing, allowing you to adjust the tempo when your body needs a break, Comana explains. "What I like about dance is dance is free flowing," he says. "It's less traumatic on the body ... You don't have to worry about going hard, you can always slow down."




  • It Can Improve Your Balance


    Each year, <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Falls/adultfalls.html" target="_hplink">one out of every three adults</a> over the age of 65 will fall, according to the CDC. One thing that could help? Strapping on your dancing shoes.

    A recent research review found that dancing, as well as carrying objects while walking, can help to improve balance and ultimately reduce dangerous falls, the Huffington Post reported <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/12/dancing-balance-elderly-walking-carrying-object_n_1086385.html" target="_hplink">when the findings were first released</a>.

    "It is well worth the elderly putting their favorite music on at home and having a little jig," study researcher Tracey Howe, of Glasgow Caledonian University, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/elderhealth/8877127/Elderly-should-waltz-three-times-a-week-to-prevent-falls.html" target="_hplink">told <em>The Telegraph</em></a>.




  • You Don't Need Any Equipment


    Interested in starting up a dance-based fitness routine? You really don't need a thing to get started.

    "The easiest solution is to put on your favorite music and move your body in your living room, which alone will burn lots of calories," Mallett says. "For a more structured workout buy an exercise dance DVD."

    So go ahead, dance like there's nobody watching. It's for your health.




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